The panchayat, inhibited by tribespeople from the Muthuvan community, has remained underdeveloped for long.
A road bridge in Edamalakudy built long ago without connecting roads. (KA Shaji/South First)
The Kerala government has plans to construct a road and provide internet connectivity to Edamalakkudy, located deep inside the Eravikulam National Park in the Idukki district.
The only tribal gram panchayat in the state, Edamalakkudy is home to more than 750 traditional, forest-dwelling Muthuvan families. Muthuvans, according to legend, hailed from Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
Going by the latest estimates, the forest panchayat has over 3,200 people in 25 settlements. Within Edamalakudy, the settlements are scattered and located in different areas deep inside the forest.
The grama panchayat is nearly 30 kms from Munnar, the popular tourist destination. But the village could be reached only by trekking the rugged forest path for around six hours, something most city-dwellers would prefer to avoid.
But the residents of Edamalakkudy cannot shun the trek — those who can afford it, ride the past-the-expiry-date all-wheel-drive Willys taxis that rattle and bounce through the forest terrain.
A majority would take the arduous trek. The absence of internet and road connectivity has forced authorities to operate the panchayat office from Devikulam town, 37 kms from the forest village.
The villagers should cover this distance for their daily needs or depend on the few taxi operators. Pregnant women and the elderly requiring immediate medical care are the most hit.
South First spoke to K Radhakrishnan, Kerala’s Minister for the Welfare of Backward and Scheduled Communities. He said the government has cleared all hurdles in providing road connectivity, internet access, and transportation facilities to the panchayat, besides constructing a new office for the civic body in Edamalakkudy.
Narasamma, a member of Muthuvan community, in Edamalakkudy. (KA Shaji/South First)
The major hurdle in developing infrastructure was the objection by the state Forest Department, which prevented the panchayat from initiating the works.
V Chithappan, a resident of Society Kudi, expressed happiness over the development. “Normally, a person travelling to Devikulam for any official work could return only after three days. It will be easier for us if the panchayat office and other facilities come closer,” he told South First.
Society Kudy is one of the better-populated settlements in Edamalakkudy.
Most hamlets have been using solar power for the past five years. A few have underground power cables to their houses. A robust link to a mobile phone network and safe drinking water are the other needs of the settlements.
According to village elder Chinnathampi, the laying of an optical fibre network to the panchayat is nearing completion. The state government had sanctioned ₹4 crore for the project in March this year.
A jeep journey through difficult forest terrain to Edamalakkudy. (KA Shaji/South First)
Besides an efficient mobile phone network, easily accessible medical care, too, is the dream of these forest dwellers.
They are also demanding a village office to handle all land-related issues and welfare schemes.
Trekking to the outside world, incidentally, is not always possible. Climate change has added to the woes of the tribesmen.
After the savage floods of 2018, the forest roads have either been washed away or get inundated during each monsoon season, leaving the grama panchayat marooned.
“A road connecting Society Kudy with Pettimudi in Munnar is a long-cherished dream of these people. Though the roads works had commenced a decade ago, the forest department raised some objections, stalling the construction”, A Raja, the CPI(M) MLA representing Devikulam, told South First.
Incidentally, a devastating landslide in Pettimudi had claimed about 70 lives on 6 August, 2020. According to reports, only 65 bodies were recovered.
“The government has now sanctioned ₹13.7 crore for laying a concrete road. The Forest Department has cleared the hurdles as well. The works will begin very soon,” the MLA added.
A Primary Health Centre (PHC) was constructed in the panchayat, with no facilities to house doctors, nurses, and other paramedical staff. Health Minister Veena George had said in April this year that necessary staff would soon be appointed to make the PHC functional.
A settlement of Muthuvan tribespeople in Edamalakkudy. (KA Shaji/South First)
Kerala’s first tribal village, Edamalakkudy, was formed exclusively for the tribespeople belonging to the Muthuvan community in 2010.
After forming the panchayat, it remained forgotten in the backyard of Kerala society, devoid of any major development.
The panchayat has only primary schools. Children are sent to model tribal residential schools elsewhere for higher education after their primary classes.
Rural legend has it that the Muthuvans fled Madurai to escape some powerful enemies, and settled at different parts of the dense forests, blanketing the now ecologically sensitive Western Ghats in Idukki. A community that rarely mingles with others, Muthuvans have been maintaining their purity, and outsiders are seldom seen in Edamalakkudy.
Their reclusive nature helped the tribespeople hold out on their own against Covid-19, even when multiple waves swept through the Kerala, leaving a trail of death. At the outset of the pandemic itself, the grama panchayat enforced a strict ban on outsiders. Only government officials were allowed into Edamalakkudy.
Edamalakkudy reported its first Covid-19 case only in July 2021. India’s first Covid-19 case was detected in Thrissur, Kerala, on 30 January 2020.
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